Isis and Osiris of the Modern Age
by WolfOnFire36
Summary: This is a SpikeXOC story, and I'm gonna start with the full summary inside. If anyone has any suggestions or comments, constructive criticism is more than welcome! Thank you!
1. Full Summary

Spike, the ever loveable vampire with a soul, discovers a new way to regain his humanity, but there's a catch. He needs the help of a young artist named Rachel. Her paintings make up the map he needs. However, an accident has left Rachel bitter and unable to paint. Can he help her find the will to paint again and finish the map?


	2. Remember

***Disclaimer: I do not own Spike or any of the Angel/Buffy characters (even though I wish I did) Rachel and the plot idea are mine though.***

She watched the woman hook her leg around the pole and give one last turn on her stiletto heels as the song ended. There had been a time when she'd done the exact same thing, the feel of the cold metal pole under your knee, the blur of lights and faces as you whipped around, throwing your body this way and that just for the amusement of the men (and on occasion, women) in this little dive.

"Hey! Who've I gotta screw to get a drink?" A man who just seated himself at the end of the bar growled.

With a sigh, Rachel threw the rag she'd been using to wipe down the bar over her shoulder and went to see what he wanted. Once he'd been served and shut up, she went over to the light switch for the big, illuminated mirror behind the bar and flashed it once before announcing that it was last call right as the final dancer of the night stepped out.

Rachel resumed wiping down the bar and turned her attention to a few dirty glasses in the sink. She pulled her hands out of the soapy water and examined them, tears coming into her eyes. At one point in her life, she'd been an artist, been discovered by this big-time dealer from New York. Then she'd gotten in that damned accident.

Thinking back, she still could not remember exactly what had happened. She flexed the fingers on her left hand, and slowly, closed it into a fist. She'd done months of physical therapy and tried to get full use of it back, but she never would. Just like that, she'd lost her dreams, so now she worked here. Ex-stripper/aspiring artist turned bartender.

The music had stopped some time when she was lost in her thoughts, and most of the people had left. Empty glasses sat dotted along the length of the bar, and she gathered them up. When she'd finished with them and had all the glasses washed, she turned to leave, and on the corner of the bar closest to her, there sat a lonely glass she'd missed. The man who'd been sitting there had left a tip. As she folded the bill and pocketed it, realization hit her. He must have seen her cry. Rachel turned around and stood right in front of where the man had been and, sure enough, there was a perfect view of the sink and her face would've been clearly visible.

"Oh crap…he saw me crying. Great, just great." She muttered under her breath.

Later that night, when she finally left the strip club, she tried to remember who all had been sitting at the bar. Mostly it was older men, business men, and the usual vagrants avoiding their wives. No one really stood out, well there HAD been one man in particular who she'd noticed. Rachel saw him when he'd walked in and the thought occurred to her that if he'd asked her back to his place, she would have been more than willing.

She zipped up her jacket as she climbed into her car and headed for home.

With a sigh, Rachel had opened the door to her dingy little first-floor apartment.

It wasn't much, just basic furnishings, the only tell that there had once been pictures on the wall were discolored squares . After the accident, she had taken them all down and thrown them out. The last thing she needed were those reminders of what was now lost to her.

After her shower and a change of clothes, it was time for her favorite show and there was no way she was going to miss the season finale. She moseyed on into the living room and stopped dead in her tracks. There on her couch, was the man from the bar.

She must have gasped or made some small noise because he turned and looked at her, dressed in nothing but her underwear and a loose t-shirt.

"Who are you and what the hell are you doing here?" Rachel practically yelled.

"Well doll, name's Spike and I followed you home 'cause you have the emptiest eyes I've ever seen on a female in my entire life. Existence really, since I'm not technically living." He finished with a smirk.

Momentarily awestruck, it took her a second to form a response. "That doesn't really explain why you're here in my apartment."

He stood up and came over to her, "But doesn't it? I was curious as to why such a beautiful young thing like you is working in a dive like that."

Spike brought his face within inches of hers, waiting for her to react.

She turned away from him and walked around towards the door, "I don't have to explain anything to you. So, if you would be so kind as to leave me the fuck alone, I might decide not to call the cops."

She blinked and before she could catch her breath, he had her pinned to the wall, fangs grazing her neck. "You still don't remember, do you?" Spike breathed against her neck.

Rachel tried in vain to shove him off, but the vampire wouldn't budge. "Remember what? I think you have me confused with someone else."

He grabbed her left wrist as she went to hit him again. "Want me to tell you what happened to your hand, love?"

Tears welled up in her eyes, "What…?"She murmured.

"Think back, back to your accident…" he coaxed, his face returned to normal.

She started to fight him again, and this time, he let her go. "I can't…I can't remember what happened!" she screamed.

"Keep thinking, because you owe me." He teased.

Rachel glared at him, "Bullshit. If you are the reason I can't paint anymore, I don't owe you anything. I'd rather you kill me now."

"Oh, is that what's bothering you? Why you work in the strip club? You can't paint your pretty pictures anymore?" He mocked.

That was the last straw, and Rachel just broke, "You son of a bitch! Go to hell, fucking vampire…"

She fell to her knees and sat there cradling her left hand against her chest, cursing Spike under her breath. As he left, he couldn't help but rub salt in the wound, "I would if I could. Remember, kitten, you owe me."


	3. Bad Dream

Rachel stayed there on the floor for hours that night, trying so hard to remember what had happened the night she almost lost her hand. When she got up to go to bed, it was almost two in the morning.

_**It had been little over a year ago and she had been living in L.A. at the time. She had just finished packing the last of the paintings in a series she'd been working on. The person who she'd been studying with kept strange hours, a noon to midnight schedule, and they had just packed up the paintings for a show in New York. She was almost home, which was good, because she could barely hold her eyes open anymore. At the stop light, she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand, and in the seconds that she wasn't looking, a car had lost control. It hit her and sent her spinning into the side of a brick building. She couldn't move and she began to feel light-headed. The last thing she saw was a blond-haired man, with an angular face she would have loved to paint, pulling her from the twisted metal.**_

She woke with a start, and hugged her knees to her chest.

"I wish he'd left me to die." She choked out, fighting back tears.

"Sounds like you remember now."

That voice, oh how she'd come to loathe it in such a short time. The cocky vampire stood in the doorway to her bedroom, same smug look on his inhuman, handsome face. (Wait, what?)

"Go away, Spike."

"You owe me. I could've left you to bleed to death. If I had known that you'd resent your life this much, I wouldn't have bothered saving you." He jeered, coming to sit on the foot of her bed.

"Yeah, being unconscious makes it kinda hard to tell somebody that you have nothing to live for if you don't have your hand."She snapped, "If anything, you owe me!"

Rachel lunged at him. She grabbed his shirt, and raised her left arm to punch him, but when she felt the slow flex of her fingers, she got off the vampire and just stared at her hand. A large scar ran across her wrist, jagged and starkly pale against the rest of her skin.

Spike laughed as he got up off the floor. Rachel just stared.

He waved a hand in her direction, "There! That dead-fish-eyed stare. That's what was so interesting about you. An empty artist? I asked myself. No, there's gotta be something more to her. Some deeper reason why she's so hollow."

"My life was taken from me. The one thing in this life that was getting me out of the sewer I was born in, gone. I had a nice apartment, before. And small studios and shops buying my work. I was set to debut in New York with this big-time dealer the day this," she held up her left arm," happened! What's left for a left-handed artist who can't use her hand? Tell me, Spike!"

"You start over. Find a new way to live, and don't sit around here feeling sorry for yourself."

Rachel sighed, "What do I have to do to make you go away?"

He smirked, "You're going to help me."


	4. LA

"You do know that if you told me where we were going, I'd get us there faster, right?" Rachel said, throwing the vampire next to her an annoyed look.

"Aw, I'm hurt. I thought you were enjoying my company." Spike mocked. He was getting good at pushing her buttons.

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened as much as was possible. "And here I was, willing to bang you earlier tonight. What was I thinking?" she hissed under her breath.

She ground her teeth when he laughed. "I'm all for it. Might make me let you in on what I'm up to."

"Will it get you out of my life?" Rachel sighed.

Spike gave her thigh a squeeze," Nope. Can't get rid of me that easily, kitten."  
She swatted his hand when she stopped at an intersection.

"Now which way?" she barked

"Let me think…" he teased.

She turned off the car and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Screw this. Drive yourself, I'm not helping you."  
He growled and climbed over into her seat, leaning over her threateningly. Rachel just glared at him.  
"Go ahead, do your worst, vampire. I'm not scared of you."

Spike smiled, showing his fangs,"You should be."

Before Rachel could respond, his lips were on hers, his body pressing her back into the seat and the door. She mentally screamed and pushed him off.

"L.A." Spike laughed.

"What?"

"That's where we're going."  
Rachel stared at him. "What business does a vampire have in the City of Angels? Planning to start the Apocalypse?"

"Just drive the bloody car and I'll explain when we get there, I promise."

When she started the car again, she ventured to ask,"What are you going to do when the sun comes up?"

"Hide in the trunk."

"Seriously? You expect me to drive around with you in my trunk?"

He shrugged, "Why not? Been locked in tighter spaces."

"This is crazy…."

Luckily, they happened upon a roadside motel before sunrise.

"Goodie. More time stuck with and annoying vampire. Why me?" Rachel ranted.

"You owe me."

She turned around to face the vamp. "Tell me why it HAD to be me. Seriously."

Spike shrugged, "You'd be easier to coerce. Good help is so hard to find."

Sitting in one of the cheap chairs, Rachel kicked at one of the legs of the equally cheap table. "Tell me about vampires."  
"What do you want to know?"  
"Separate myth from fact. Did either Anne Rice or Bram Stoker get it right?"

Spike laughed, "Not really. Sunlight, crosses, stakes, long lives, blood drinking, all true. We also need to be invited into peoples' homes. Everything else, mostly myth."

She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, "How do you keep getting into my apartment, then?"

No answer.

"I'm going out for some fresh air." She said, and stood up.

"No, you're not. I'm not bloody stupid."

Rachel rushed forward and pulled open the curtains. Sunlight sent the vampire smoking.

The last thing she heard was a snarl as she slammed the motel door.

She was halfway back to Burbank when the guilt hit her.

"Why do I care? He wasn't going to leave me alone until I agreed to go along with his evil scheme. Whatever it was. Since he never told me what I was helping him with, that just confirms that he was up to no good. Right?"

That evening, she went to work and everything was normal and routine. The whole night, she kept looking around for the blond vampire, though.

Rachel returned home that night to find her door slightly ajar. She rolled her eyes and pushed it the rest of the way open, "Hello, Spike."


	5. Sure Enough

Sure enough, there he was, on her couch, waiting for her. He stood up and got in her face when she walked in, "I'll bet you thought that was funny, huh? Oh, let's see how much sunlight it takes to make the vampire burst in to flames, shall we?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Rachel replied, sarcasm dripping from her words like honey.

He growled at her. The woman just put her hands on her hips and looked indignant. How dare he invite himself into her home and yell at her. How did he keep getting in here, anyways?  
"If you had just told me what you were up to, it wouldn't have come to that."

He seemed agitated, pacing, and "Fine. If I told you what I'm planning, will you help me?"

Rachel considered this for a second, "If it's nothing too bad, sure. I'll help."

"Good. I found a new way for me to become human again."

"Wait…you want to be human again? Why?"

"Being a vampire kind of sucks when you've got a soul."

"That's a tad contradictory, isn't it?"

Judging from the look he gave her, now wasn't the time for smart-ass remarks. Regardless of how good she was at them.

"Anyways…continue. What do you need from me?" she urged.

"It's…complicated." Spike looked like he was choosing his next words carefully.

Rachel tilted her head to one side, "Complicated, how?"

"Your paintings. They're… some sort of map."

"A map? My paintings are abstracts! That makes no sense."

His eyes narrowed, and she pursed her lips to show she wouldn't say anything else.

"It doesn't make complete sense to me, but it leads to somewhere where something very, very powerful is hidden. Just one little problem, on your part."

She stared intently, signaling him to continue and explain.

"It's not complete, the map isn't. Parts are missing, a whole section really." He sighed.

Looking away from him, she shook her head sadly. "I don't paint anymore, so you're going to have to work with what you have. I've got what I did before the accident on a CD, but that's the best I can do."

"No, you can finish it. Finish the series, make a comeback. Get rediscovered." He sounded hopeful.

"I'd have to find a mentor, someone willing to teach me how to paint with my right hand. The only person I could think of who would be willing to help me…" she looked at him incredulously.

He smirked, " I did my homework. It just took a little asking around and, eventually, I was directed to your old teacher. When I told him about your accident, besides blubbering, he said he'd be more than happy to help his favorite student."

At that point, she almost hugged the vampire.


	6. And So It Begins

When they arrived at Edmund Zuelke's loft the following night, he was already up and waiting for them.

He opened the door and as Rachel began to say how much she appreciated all that he was willing to do for her, he just nodded and waved his hand for silence, "Yes, yes. I know, your boyfriend here already explained everything to me. It's unfortunate that such a talented young thing like yourself would get in an accident and have that taken from them."

Rachel just glanced over at Spike, wanting to ask where Eddie had gotten the idea that he was her boyfriend, but she just shrugged it off as she was ushered over to the paints and canvas he had set up.

Putting the brush into her right hand, he closed the fingers around it, "Now, let's see what you can do."

Her mentor had her at the canvas well into the morning. Nothing had turned out and Rachel was beginning to get discouraged.

"Aaargh! That's it! I can't do it!" Rachel cried, tears running down her face, paints and brushes thrown about.

Eddie put a hand on her shoulder, "Shh. It will all come back to you in time. You're learning to paint again, physically, while in here," he tapped his temple, "you know exactly what you want to do. It's frustrating, but I believe in you."

A dejected Rachel looked at her watch, "Almost sunrise. We should be going."

Eddie nodded, "Of course. That would be a good idea. Tonight, we'll continue."

Rachel ran her hands through her hair as she stood out in the hall waiting for Spike.

"Mr. Pratt, do make sure she doesn't get too discouraged. She's very talented, just stubborn. It's wonderful that she's got you to support her through this." She heard Eddie telling him.

"Well, then, shall we be going, pet?" Spike said as he closed the door behind him.

Back in the car, she asked, "Mr. Pratt? Seriously? You couldn't have come up with a better fake name?"

"It's not a false name. I was William Pratt back in my human days."

"Oh, I…" she tried to apologize.

He gave her one of his famous smirks, "Just drive."

Rachel didn't allow herself to sleep much during the day. Instead, she circled ads in the newspaper and made numerous calls, trying to find a place that wasn't too expensive and not very far from Edmund's loft.

Spike came and sat across from her as she scratched yet another number off her list. "Any luck?" he inquired.

The young woman shook her head, "Nothing that I could afford right now."

An awkward silence passed between them, Rachel looking over her list of numbers and making swirls and scribbles in the margin.

"I'm not going back."

Spike looked up at her, "What?"

She hung her head, "I can't do it. There's no way I'm going to be able to finish the map for you."

"You can do this. I know you can. Just try."

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, "You don't really believe that."

"Maybe I do, and maybe I don't, but it really doesn't matter. You just need to be able to finish the map enough for me to figure out where I'm supposed to find this mystical object that will turn me back into a human. Apart from that, you don't mean much of anything to me."

"I didn't want to help you in the first fucking place! You just wouldn't leave me alone until I agreed to help you!" Rachel yelled at the vamp, tears blurring her vision.

"That's right, pet. And I'll continue to be a thorn in your side until they put you six feet under. The sooner the bloody map is done, the sooner I can get the hell away from this mopey little girl that I've come to find myself relying on." He got up and made for the bedroom, there was still a good nine hours of daylight left.

Rachel slammed her hands on the table, "What makes you think that I won't stake you in your sleep?" she hissed.

He didn't even turn to look at her, "Because, in some sick way, I amuse you."

Rachel went to her lesson with Eddie for lack of a better reason that getting away from Spike.

"Oh dear, a lover's quarrel. He did seem to be a bit controlling. Now, let us see if we can use some of that anger to our advantage." He chimed.


	7. In Progress

It had been almost five months since Rachel and Spike relocated to L.A. After many of those five months she spent living in motels or commuting, she had found an apartment. Even though it was small and only had one bedroom, it was a place to live, and it was only a block from Eddie.

Her and Spike barely managed to tolerate each other. The two were still always arguing and picking fights with each other. Much to Rachel's dismay, though, he would tag along when she went to her painting lessons with Eddie. Today, however, there was no lesson, today was moving day. Or, night, really.

"Here, wait, wait! I said wait, damnit! Ouch!" Rachel hollered, as her and Spike attempted to get the stupid loveseat up the stupid stairs.

"What the hell? I told you to wait!" She seethed, nursing her banged up foot.

He scowled at her, "It's not my fault you're such a klutz."

Rachel just sighed, "Well, this is the last stupid piece of fricken furniture we have to move, so let's finish what we started." The look he gave her made her flinch a bit, "Please? Pretty please with sugar on top?" she pleaded.

Spike sighed, "Fine. I hate it when you go all damsel on distress on me."

With a triumphant grin, Rachel picked up the other end of the loveseat and they hauled it into her apartment.

Later that night, Rachel sat on the cursed loveseat looking at the paintings she had done since coming to study with Edmund again. She moved the pictures around in Adobe seeing if she could figure out how they went together with the older ones from before her accident.

"I wonder how these are supposed to fit together to create a map. Did you happen to come across that information when you discovered this new way to be human again?" she asked the vampire, no sarcasm in her voice.

He shook his head, "No, but I wish I had. Sorry 'bout that pet."

"Whatever, we'll figure it out. Hopefully." She said, shutting off her computer.

Rachel stretched her legs out in front of her, setting them up on the moving boxes that served as a temporary coffee table. Her left foot was bruised purple from the middle of her foot almost to her toes.

"I'm so bored. Not having a lesson with Eddie tonight is making me restless. I need something to do." She whined, more to herself than to Spike. Standing up and hand-combing her hair, Rachel turned to him, "Let's go. I've got an idea."

"And what would that be?" he sounded skeptical.

She slung her purse on her shoulder, "The place I work at is having an Amateur Night. Drinks will be cheap, and I might get a turn on the pole. I haven't done that in ages!"

A girlish grin spread across her face and Spike took a good hard look at the woman in front of him. Her face was long and proportionate, her hair cut into a shaggy bob of burgundy hair, the blond roots barely beginning to show. (She must have been dying it when he was sleeping.) Her eyes were a forest green and now had a mischievous shine to them. How had he not noticed how pretty she was before?

"Well? You wanna come?" she asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Sure." He answered, shrugging on his black duster, when she caught the sleeve halfway up his arm.

"Leave it here. You look better without it." A light blush on her cheeks, Rachel turned away and headed to the door when she realized she'd just said that.

Spike didn't say anything, but he left the jacket.

Rachel hadn't been kidding about the cheap drinks, and her employee discount didn't hurt either. There were a lot of people there, and Spike could sense a couple vampires around, as well.

"So, reconvene here by the door at closing?" Rachel asked, surprising Spike. Why should she care what he did?

He was shocked as he automatically answered, "Sure."

She gave him that girlish grin again and kissed his cheek before dancing off and disappearing into the crowd. Spike sat himself at the bar, and when the bartender came over and asked him what he wanted, he found himself automatically comparing her to Rachel.

It wasn't until nearly midnight when they actually started letting the amateur women up to dance.

"Here, watch my purse for me, would you?" Rachel said, tossing it to him.

He let it fall, "Since when am I your slave?"

She walked on over to him and whispered seductively in his ear, "Trust me, you want to keep me happy."

Spike noticed the strong smell of alcohol on her breath. She was way far gone.

He grabbed her arm, "Let's go."

"But…but…"she whimpered.

"Love, how many drinks have you had?" He demanded, holding her upper arms.

She shook her head, "I…I honestly just had one beer."

At that exact moment, one of the vampires he'd sensed earlier came up and wrapped an arm around Rachel's waist. "Do you mind, buddy? I've got dibs on this one." He said, nuzzling her neck.

A growl tore from Spike as he took a swing at the other vampire.

Rachel screamed as she fell to the ground, the vampire's fangs now stuck into her shoulder. Spike ripped the vamp off of her and threw him across the bar. While everyone was distracted by the pissed off vamp, Spike swept Rachel up into his arms bridal style and ducked out the door unseen by anyone.


	8. Heart to Heart

Rachel woke up the next morning with what felt like the hangover from hell. Whatever had happened last night had managed to escape her memory. Her shoulder burned when she sat up, and she was surprised to see two lacerations there, red and inflamed.

"That can't be a good sign…" she sighed groggily, her tongue thick in her mouth.

Spike came into her room, a cup of coffee in hand, "Nice to see you're awake." He said as he offered her the steaming cup.

She took it gratefully, "What happened last night?"

He sat beside her on the bed, "Well, long story short, you got drugged by a vampire who thought you were easy prey."

"Then why am I here safe and sound?" she asked before taking a sip of the coffee.

He brushed a strand of hair off her face, "Do you think I would just let him make a midnight snack out of you? When you're so important to me?"

She raised an eyebrow in question, "Important to you? You do mean to finish the map, right?" she teased

He stood up quickly, "Yeah, of course, pet. Why else would you mean anything to me?"

Rachel hid her smile behind the cup as Spike hurried out. "Because, I amuse you. You like me…" she whispered in a singsong voice.

That evening when she was feeling better, Rachel pulled out her sketchbook from the other night. She'd been working on the 'map' and had done a few rough (very rough) sketches of the next couple of pieces she wanted to paint. Paired along with the pictures of her pre-accident works, she was confident that her and Spike could piece together some of the missing parts.

"Hey, feeling better?" the vampire asked. He was seated on the loveseat, an old B movie playing on the T.V.

"Much." She held up the stack of papers, "I've got a little activity planned for tonight."

"What are those?" Spike asked suspiciously.

Rachel laid them on the table and spread the color pictures out along with her sketches. "It's the jigsaw puzzle of a map. Rough sketches of missing pieces included."

He picked up one of the rough sketches, "Where do you get the ideas for your paintings?"

She just shrugged, "They just come to me in dreams and stuff. I'll get a random idea and keep working it out in my head until I get to a medium and a surface."

He just nodded as he started trying to piece together the pictures.

Hours passed and it was almost midnight. The pair wasn't far from where they'd started. The color pictures had been put together just fine, but it was putting the rough sketches where they belonged that was the hard part.

Rachel sighed and ran her hands through her hair, "This isn't working…if only I knew what colors they were going to be."

With a frustrated growl, Spike threw down the handful of papers he had, "Yes, pet, it would be helpful."

She scowled at him, "How old are you anyways? Don't you have another couple of centuries to wait if this doesn't go like you want or I die in some freak accident?"

"I'd get to wait around another 300 years for a crazy little minx like you to show up."

"Wow."

"No kidding."

She shook her head, "No, wow as in, over 3 centuries, you've only met one crazy artist? And, one who happens to have a pretty normal past?"

He leaned forward, "I doubt your past was normal."

With a grin, she proceeded in telling him her past, "It was. My dad left when I was just a baby, my mom was a hard worker with three jobs, and we lived in a small fixer-upper house. She was never home, so I raised myself and got into trouble because of it. Got pretty good at shoplifting, actually. At 18 my mom had me get a job, and that's how I became familiar with strip clubs and dives. I was a star dancer for a few years. When my mom stroked out and died, I was 21, I didn't have anywhere to go. So, I just took what little money we'd had and hopped the next bus into L.A. And it's a good thing I did. Sunnydale was gone shortly after. The place is just…gone.

But anyways, Eddie took me in, and I stayed with him for a while. I'd taken some bartending classes before, so I wasn't totally unfamiliar with the territory, and that's what I did when I got here. The dingier the club, the better the tips. I was one of the better looking girls where I was working. I got myself a car, turned 22, got discovered by a big New York art dealer, and then…got into that car accident. Eventually you came into the picture and the rest is history."

She stood up and went and curled up on the other side of the couch by Spike, "What about you? Your story must be something."

"I was turned in the 18th century by a pretty little thing named Drusilla. Before I was a vampire, I was a poet, and it was just me and my mum. After Dru turned me, I changed my mum. She came onto me and I had to stake her. I ended up traveling with Dru, Darla, and their sire Angelus through Europe and Asia for a spell. I killed a slayer in China during the Boxer rebellion, got captured by Nazis, I'm not going to elaborate on how they caught me, then met up with Dru again sometime later. We traveled through Italy together and then came to the States. Got my second slayer in New York.

Then along came Buffy Summers. Drusilla got injured, Angel showed up, with a soul, mind you, and some relationship problems…going from Dru to Buffy and a short fling with a hot little number named Harmony, I got a chip stuck in me by a group called the Initiative so I couldn't bite humans. I sought the protection of Buffy and her little group, and eventually got my soul back."

Rachel pulled her legs up to her chest, "So, you and this Buffy had a thing?"

"For a while, then she went back to Angel. Anyways, I gave myself up to destroy the Hellmouth, the real reason Sunnydale's gone, and then came back here in L.A. Unfortunately, it was as a ghost and I was stuck in Wolfram and Hart. On top of that, Angel was the boss man there. Recorporealized, lost some friends, and fought off an Apocalypse. Then I helped you out of your crushed car, and here we are."

She stared at him, not in a sexual way, but as if she was tracing the lines of his face with a pencil in her mind.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked warily, leaning back from her.

"I guess I should thank you for saving me." Rachel traced one of his cheekbones with her finger, "I remember thinking about my rescuer and that he had a face that would be fun to paint. Before I blacked out, anyways."

He took her hand away from his face, lacing his fingers with hers, "Is that so?"

Rachel gave his hand an affectionate squeeze then got up and looked at the clock, "It's about time that I head over to Eddie's." She disappeared into the bedroom.

As she pulled off her top and dug through her dresser for another one, she called, "Are you going to come with me tonight?"

"No need to yell, I'm right here." Spike said from the doorway.

She turned around, and laughed nervously, "Sorry."

He came over to her and leaned in, his face inches from hers, "I think you should cancel your lesson tonight."

"Convince me." She whispered seductively.

With a smirk, he threw her onto the bed, "As you wish."


	9. Traitor

Rachel woke up that morning to find she wasn't alone in her bed. She snuggled closer to her vampire lover and contemplated calling in sick to work.

The phone rang, making her jump. "Hello?" she answered groggily, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"So, you are alive. I was wondering why you wouldn't have shown up, and the only good reason was that you were dead. So, now that's out, why didn't you show?" Eddie nagged at her.

"You called just because of that? So what if I decided to stay home with my boyfriend for a change? It never bothered you when you first started teaching me." Rachel snapped.

The line was quiet for a moment, before her teacher replied angrily, "That was because you had a natural talent and it didn't need much fostering, but now, you are back at square one, with only the knowledge and no more skill than a finger painting- kindergartener. Don't bother showing up here again." And the line went dead.

Stunned, she just sat there listening to the dial tone. Tears welled up in her eyes and she hung up the phone so she could bury herself in the covers and cry.

A sob ripped from her throat and she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" Spike crooned.

Rachel just continued to cry.

It wasn't until she had to get ready for work that she stopped. Rachel waltzed out of the bathroom, her hair wet from her shower, and dressed for work. She was wearing a pair of low-slung black jeans and a tight black top.

"At least I get to spend my nights with you, now." She sighed to Spike, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her.

"He was like a father to you, though, wasn't he? I mean, he loved you like a daughter."

She shrugged, and came and sat on his lap, drawing circles on his bare chest. "Yeah, he was really the only person who believed a screwed up girl like me could make something of herself. The only one…" she shook her head, "Changing the subject, I think you should be like this more often." Rachel nipped at his neck," I like my men shirtless and drop-dead sexy."

Spike pressed her body closer and kissed her passionately. When she pulled away for breath, he said, "You should probably get going. After what happened this weekend, you'll be lucky if you even have a job still."

And much to her surprise, she still did. Her boss, and owner of the club, Jessica, shook out her long red hair and laughed when Rachel came in and asked if she still had a job. "Cutie, if I fired everyone whose protective boyfriend beat the shit out of an asshole who really deserved it, I'd be hiring new people daily."

"Oh, well, thanks. I was kinda worried about that. I need this job." Rachel sighed.

Jess smiled warmly, "I allow vampires in here only if they agree to play fair. If one of my girls gets drugged or bitten in here, he's dust. Your particular offender is now permanently out of commission."

"You…killed him?"

"Yes and no. He's dust, but he was already 'dead'. I protect my employees, and they know that. You're all my girls." The older woman gave her a quick hug, and disappeared into her office.

The daylight hours of this job were boring, but the plus was that is was highly unlikely a vampire would wander in here, let alone one that would misbehave. Now Rachel was left to ponder her artistic future now that Edmund refused to give her anymore lessons. Maybe she could ask for a raise to afford the supplies? Nah, Jenn had been kind enough to let her keep her job, and it would seem rude to ask.

"So, the hunk who carted you out of here, where'd you find him?" the daytime waitress, Khira, asked.

Rachel ran a hand through her hair, "Well, he pulled me out of my car some time ago, the one that did this," she held up her left hand, "and we ran into each other later on. I didn't even remember him at first."

The other woman sighed, "Aww. That's so romantic. I wish I could find my knight like that. Well, something like that. I don't want to be crippled, maybe a couple small scratches…oh! I don't mean…" she stuttered, realizing what she'd just said.

Rachel shook her head nonchalantly, "It's no big. I've actually come to accept it."

Still, Khira kept trying to say she was sorry for the rest of her shift.

Halfway into Rachel's shift, the sun went down and the regulars started to come in. Serving the same drinks five days out of the week made for an easy and semi-predictable job. Today, though, Jess was going to throw a curve ball into that predictableness.

The tall red-head leaned against the bar shortly after sunset, "So, I was going over some of the stuff I needed to file, and I found this." She said, setting a paper on the bar.

Rachel smiled sheepishly as she looked up at her boss, "Yeah, I guess I got a little carried away Saturday, huh? It's just that it's been forever since I've danced."  
Jess raised an eyebrow curiously, "Oh? You used to be a dancer?"

"Yep, when I first came here, and before I could take bartending classes. It was hard to decide which one I enjoyed more."

"Well, seeing as how you didn't get your turn Saturday, and seeing as how you're not really an amateur, I'm gonna let you fill in for Lizzie tonight, if you're up to it?" the older woman said, smiling.

Rachel nodded fervently, "That would be great. Thanks so much, Jenn."

Spike walked into the little club wondering where the hell Rachel was. She should have been off work a little over an hour ago. He looked towards the bar, and there was a red-headed woman serving the drinks.

"Excuse me, but, do you know where I could find Rachel?" he asked.

The woman smiled, "Sure do. Give her five minutes and she'll be right out, 'kay?"

"What the hell are you doing?" he muttered under his breath, taking a seat at one of the empty tables in the back.

An electronic beat began, followed by an electric guitar and the song "More Human than Human (Techno remix)" started playing, and Rachel stalked onto stage. The DJ said something, but Spike tuned him out, staring in disbelief at the woman on the platform.

Her hair had been pulled up and gelled, and she was wearing a halter top and a large scarf tied around her waist as a skirt. Glittery wings had been painted on her back and feathers decorated the corners of her eyes.

"Oh sweet Lucifer…she's a stripper." He growled, pinching the bridge of his nose.


	10. Fight

They argued all the way home and Rachel almost ran the car off the road. Spike was still yelling at her as she unlocked the apartment door.

"You could have at least called and said you were going to be home late!"

She turned on her heel and screamed in return, "Why the fuck do you even care? It's my life, and my body! If I want to dance, then I'll dance!"

"Bugger this." Spike seethed as he turned around and stormed out of the apartment.

Rachel tried her hardest to forget about the argument, but she couldn't. She decided to take a shower to clear her mind.

"All my good thinking is done in the shower…" She sighed, taking off her clothes and turning on the water as hot as it would go.

"If it weren't for that stupid map…where does it lead? I mean, the big streak of blue doesn't look like a river, but is it?" pressing her forehead to the wall, wishing the water could wash away all her problems.

Spike was hunched over his third drink, trying not to think back to Rachel. But no matter how hard he tried, his thoughts always returned to the stubborn young artist he'd come to,( dare he say it?), love.

"What are you doing here, Hun?" the red-headed woman from the club Rachel worked at asked, taking a seat beside him.

He finished his drink, "What's it to you?"

"Most guys are happy to date a dancer, but you, you're just the opposite. Why's that?"

"I'm a jealous prick. What do you think?"  
"I think you're scared." She said, gazing at him like she could see into his soul.

"Why would I be scared of a human?"

"It's not her you're scared of. It's what she means to you, what she has to offer." She tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Great. I go looking for solitude, and I find a shrink. Bloody fantastic." Spike muttered as he stood up.

"She loves you, you know. Rachel is so crazy about you, it makes her sick with worry when you two argue." The woman said before he stalked off.

As he stepped out into the night, Spike steeled himself to do something he swore he wouldn't. He was going to go apologize to Rachel.

He walked into the apartment to find the walls and floor covered in paint splatters. Rachel was sitting naked on the floor, staring at the paint like she saw something in it that he couldn't.

"Rachel…" he touched her shoulder.

She jumped up and sighed when she saw it was only Spike. "Oh, it's just you." Rachel looked at the room with a sheepish smile on her face. "Wow…"

"You ever done this before?" Spike teased.

She shook her head, "Nope. This is definitely a first. I know where we need to go now, though."

"Really? Where's that?"

A self-satisfied smile spread on Rachel's face, "What we seek is in Egypt."


	11. So, get this!

Rachel immediately put on some clothes and printed out a map of Egypt. Spike watched in almost morbid fascination as she drew a line in bright yellow highlighter to the Valley of the Kings and circled a side of the valley.

"This section of wall," she proclaimed, pointing to the yellow circle, "is where the entrance is. Once we find out how to open it, the Well of Osiris should be in there."

"Wait, the Well? I never told you what we were looking for, how'd…"

She shook her head, and tapped her temple, "My vision this time was incredibly detailed and it was kinda scary actually…it was as if someone had pressed the brush into my hand and told me I either had to paint or die." She shivered.

Something didn't sit right about that in Spike's mind, but he didn't dwell on it.

"When do you think we can get going?" he asked.

Rachel shrugged, "I don't know. Whenever I can scrounge up the money, I guess…unless you have cash stored somewhere?" she inquired hopefully.

"Nah never was my style."

With a sigh, Rachel started looking for travel agencies on the internet.

Spike laid the artist down on the bed, tucking a strand of burgundy hair back from her face. She had stayed up all night trying to find out just how much the trip to Egypt would cost. The thing was, though, that he didn't want her to come along. Well, he DID, actually, but there was this unsettling feeling he got thinking about her tagging along.

"Something's not right about this whole deal. It wasn't random impulse that made her paint on the walls…" he muttered to himself as he closed the heavy curtains to keep out the sun.

Meanwhile, Edmund was entertaining a guest. The red-headed woman sat across from him at his kitchen table, an untouched cup of coffee steaming in front of her.

"So, what have you found out, my lovely Jess?" he asked, setting his hands up on the table.

Jess shook out her hair, "The spell worked. Now, all we have to do is keep an eye on the vampire. He won't admit it, but I was able to read his mind enough to know that he's crazy about Rachel and would give his existence for her."

Edmund considered this, nodding, "Do you think she'll travel with him?"

"That, I don't know. We'll have to keep an eye on them. If she stays, it'll make it all too easy for us to bait the trap."

"I see…threaten Rachel and the vampire will do anything we say to keep her alive, is that where you're going?"

Jess smiled devilishly, "But of course, dear." She said as she laid a hand on top of the old painters'.

Spike had waited until the sun went down the next day and made sure Rachel had gone to work before he decided to make his escape. The sun had just set and he was making his way to meet an old friend.

"What do you want, Spike?" Angel seethed when he opened the door to his flat.

Okay, not so much a 'friend'.

"I need your help."

The older vampire furrowed his brow in suspicion, "With what?"

"I'm in love. And no, it's not Buffy again."

"But why do you need my help?" Angel folded his arms across his chest.


	12. The Epic Sigh

"You know what?! I'll give you the money if it will make you go away!" Angel growled at the younger vampire.

Spike smirked in victory, "Deal."

"I don't know who this Rachel girl is that you're so infatuated with, but if she loves you back, she's either crazy, or you're lucky." Angel grumbled as he filled out a check and handed it to the blond.

"I think it's a bit of both, actually." Spike replied cockily, tucking the check in his pocket.

"Just get out."

Spike lofted out the door, thinking, 'Gladly'

Rachel woke up and heard the apartment door closing. 'Spike must be back from wherever he lofted off too…' she thought. He hadn't been home when she'd gotten off work, but she'd thought nothing of it.

When a figure appeared in the bedroom door, she was surprised to see, not Spike, but Jess, her boss, standing here.

"Hello, Rachel, deary. I need a favor from you." She crooned, stepping into the room, hands behind her back.

"Jess…what are you doing? What the hell's going on?" Rachel cried, shrinking away from the older woman.

"You'll know soon enough." Jess said and pressed the rag in her hands to Rachel's face.

She desperately tried clawing at the older woman, but she seemed unfazed as Rachel's nails left scratch after scratch on her arms and face.

Soon, she drifted into unconsciousness.

Jess sighed and looked at the bleeding cuts, "That little bitch."

Spike entered the apartment, an air of self-satisfaction about him. But as he looked around, he immediately sensed something was wrong. The place was too quiet and he could smell blood. It was not the smell of someone bleeding profusely, but like there was someone with superficial cuts.

"Rachel?" he called out tentatively.

She'd been asleep when he'd left, but she should've woken up from her nap by now. Where was she?

"Rach? You here?" He called again, poking his head into the bedroom to look for her.

Nope. No Rachel. But the blood smell was stronger here.

"Dammit!" Spike cursed under his breath, "Where could she have disappeared to?"

Then he saw the note. It wasn't Rachel's handwriting.

_Okay, here's what's going down. If you ever want to see your pretty little girlfriend, again, you'll do as we say. For starter's, there's a business card attached to the back of this paper. What you're going to do is call the number and schedule your trip. We'll go from there. _

_ P.S. If you try and pull anything, Rachel dies._

_ Have a nice day (or, night)._

Spike pulled the business card of the back of the paper then crumpled the note up.

"Bloody hell, Rach. You had to attract a couple of whackos to kidnap you, huh? It couldn't have been vampires or the junkies from across the hall?"

Rachel lay bound and unconscious on the couch, while Jess and Edmund discussed their little victory.

"So, what do you suggest we do with our little prize? Should we keep her intact or should we rough her up a little bit, to make her vampire more cooperative?" Eddie inquired.

Jess shrugged, "If she gives us any trouble, then we can rough her up. Otherwise, she needs to stay unharmed. I think that would be our best bet for getting the vampire to do what we want."

The old artist sighed in defeat, "I wish that wasn't so. She's caused me so much trouble all this time; it would be nice to exact my revenge."  
Just then, the phone rang and Jess jumped up to get it. "Hello... Yeah, okay. Next Tuesday just after sundown…Got it, thanks."

As she set the phone back on the cradle, she answered Edmund's question before he'd even asked it.

"It looks like it won't take much coercion. He's really concerned about his little artist. He wants her back ASAP."

Rachel began to stir, shaken back to consciousness by their laughter. Still, she didn't open her eyes.

"Oh, looks like you may just get in a couple lumps, Eddie." Jess' crooning voice said.

Just as Rachel began to open her eyes, there was a terrible pain in the side of her head and her world went black, again.


	13. Valley of the Kings

"Here we are, sir. The Valley of the Kings. May the gods grant you safe travel." The old guide croaked, the camel he was riding giving an annoyed grunt.

As his guide rode away, Spike grudgingly removed the papers he had printed from Rachel's computer from his jacket. The dull computer inks were barely distinguishable in the desert night, yet he could still make them out enough to judge where he was supposed to go.

The bobbing of what appeared to be a lantern on the southern cliff face caught his attention.

"Well hell, if they were going to set out a light for guests then why do those bastards need me?" he grumbled.

"Because only those who are dead can see the light from the underworld." A voice from behind Spike spoke.

The jackal-headed being wasn't like any of the demons he had encountered before.

"Attacking me would be futile, nightwalker. Anubis cannot be felled by one such as you. Now come. I know what it is you seek."

"You're just going to lead me straight to the Well of Osiris?" Spike warily asked.

Anubis cracked a condescending grin, "No, you must be judged. Your kind never fare well. However, I am curious to see how your soul will testify."

They climbed up the rocky cliff, the jackal far more nimbly, and reached the lighted entrance.

Inside, the tomb descended into a carved stone spiral of stairs. The bottom somewhere in the dark far, far below where Spike now stood alone. (Or not)

"Thank you, vampire. So nice of you to show us to the God's little hiding place." An all too familiar, now haunting voice huffed as its owner hauled himself over the edge of the tomb's entrance.

Edmund Zuelke, looking tired and worn, but also devilishly triumphant, stood before Spike.

Rage caused him to vamp out and charge the man. "You! Where's Rachel? If you've hurt her…"

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, now, now boys. Let's play nice or girlie here is going to be Ammut chow." Jess's voice chided from near the staircase.

"Where did you come from?" the vampire snarled.

The red-head shrugged nonchalantly, "Being a goddess, albeit a banished one, has it's…perks."

Rachel lay bound at the woman's (now taloned) feet.

"Why did you use me if you could've found this place yourself?" Spike snapped.

With a sneer, Jess replied," Don't you know what 'banished' means? I'm not allowed at the powwow's anymore. They've put a 'no Nekhebet' sign on the clubhouse door. This place is ever relocated and only the dead can see it's lights."

Eddie tapped Spike on the arm with his weapon of choice, a long wooden stake.

"Shall we? The girls will stay here and do each other's hair while you and I discuss our business."

The descent seemed to last forever. Ghostly lights flitted form one edge of the stairwell to the other. Sometimes Spike could almost swear he heard them laugh.

At the bottom was a large, carved doorway covered with ornate drawings depicting Egyptian death rituals and rites

There they were met by Anubis, his eyes reflecting the eerie dancing lights. "Come. Osiris awaits."


	14. Judgement Day

The God of the dead sat on a simple black throne, a set of large gold scales to his left, a crocodile-headed creature slumbered at his feet like a large dog.

"I know what it is you both seek. To be found worthy of my gift, you must be judged."

Up top, Jess filed her nails, one taloned foot still resting on an unconscious Rachel.

"Nekhebet. What an unpleasant surprise." The black-haired beauty smoothly stated as she materialized.

"Isis…" Jess hissed, her talons digging into the soft body of her captive.

"Are you planning on killing the girl, too? You never used to be so malicious Nekhebet."

Spreading her vulture-like wings, Jess approached the edge of the stairwell. Rachel perched precariously close to the edge. "Well, things change dear Isis."

"What do you mean I have to be judged? I'm a dying man!" Edmund yelled, sweat beading on his brow from nerves.

Osiris just stared at the older human. "Only those whose hearts are true can drink from the Well. If your heart testifies against you and proves your soul deceitful, you will be fed to Ammut here. "

The crocodile cracked an eye and fixed it on the human hungrily.

"So, nightwalker, human, let us see how heavy your hearts truly are."

The god got up from his throne and placed the Feather of Truth on nearby scales. "Human, you'll be judged first."

With a quick wave of his hand, Osiris was holding Edmund's heart, bloodlessly ripped from his chest.

The man felt his chest, shock apparent on his face, "Wha…H…how am I…"

Placing the heart on the scale, Osiris replied," One cannot die in the land of the dead."

As the scales tilted to the heart side, a heavy thud caused the trio to turn around. The crumpled body of a woman lay not a few feet from them.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Eddie pleaded," My Pharaoh God, I beg of you, weigh the girl's heart in lieu of my own. She no longer needs it."

"You most certainly may not." a musical woman's voice rang out. "The human man is another of Nekhebet's tools, dear husband."

"Isis…" Eddie hissed, "NO! No, no, no! Not a tool! Partners! Yes, she and I are partners! She was going to grant me immortality!"

Ammut rose from her resting place, eyes focused on the enraged man, " That gift was never hers to give, Edmund Zuelke. You are not worthy."

Spike watched in horror as the crocodile mouth swallowed down Edmund, wondering if he too would suffer such a fate.

Osiris turned to Spike, "Now, nightwalker, you are to be judged."


	15. The Sun Rises Over Egypt

Isis knelt by the crumpled form of the mortal girl. She was beautiful inside and out. Gently, she stroked her hair, feeling the girl's spirit clinging to the fleshy shell. It pleaded for her undead lover's safety, begged for him to come to no harm. The feelings closely tied to her own for her husband, Isis felt like she needed to help.

"Osiris, my love, I have a small request."

Said God tossed Edmund's heart to the eagerly awaiting Ammut. "Yes? What is it that you need of me that you cannot do yourself, wife?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"Seeing as the vampire has a soul, but no heart to speak of, perhaps you could weigh the heart of the girl and let her judge both their fates?"

He pondered this for a minute," Fair enough. However, I will only grant one wish between the two."

With clenched fists, Spike watched Osiris rend Rachel's heart and hold it in his hands as if judging for himself the weight of it before finally placing it wordlessly on the scale. For a few moments the scale tipped side to side then falling heavily to the Feather of Truth.

"Looks like she spare you. So, what is it you wish?" Osiris asked, placing the heart back into Rachel's body.

"I came here looking to become human again, but now I can't see myself without her." Spike looked from his love's body, to Isis, and back to Osiris. "I wish for you to restore her life."

"It is done."

"Come, I will take you both back to the entrance where you can wait out the day." Isis said, Rachel's limp but now breathing form cradled in her arms.

Rachel remembered the talons in her body, then falling, and the cold…feeling so cold…warm arms holding her, motherly arms, as if she was a child again.

A voice echoed vaguely in the distance of her consciousness. She focused on it, willing herself to hear it.

"Rachel, you have been granted a second life." An unfamiliar female voice said. It sounded like wind chimes, soothingly musical. "I am Isis. I know what it is like to love a man who is no longer living. Yours gave up his chance at humanity to bring you back. Your heart, however, is what earned him that choice. I have given you a gift, dear child. When the time is right, you shall receive it."

Then the warmth was gone, replaced with the touch of cool skin on her face. Slowly she opened her eyes, "Hey."

"Hey yourself, pet. I thought I'd lost you for a moment." The blond vampire replied, a small relieved smile tugging at his lips.

Despite the throbbing in her skull, Rachel sat up, leaning on Spike for support, "Can't get rid of me that easily, love."

And together they watched the sunrise over the Valley of the Kings, protected from the sun and heat by the thin veil of the underworld. Come nightfall, they would cross through it and return to the world of the living, in a sense, as far as Spike was concerned.


End file.
